Machine for developing blueprints or negatives



- H. J. BRUNK Oct. 29, 1940..

MACHINE FOR DEVELOPING BLUEPRINTS OR NEGATIVES Filed Nov. 14, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M uimbw W/Z/mss Oct. 29, 1940. H. J. BRUNK I MACHINE FOR DEVELOPING BLUEPRINTS OR NEGATIVES INVENTOR. M01640] 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 14, 1938 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 29, 1940 I l unl'raofisr-Ara's PATENT- MACHINE FOR DEVELOPING BLUEP RINTS OR NEGATIVES Harold J. Brunk,, hicago, 111., assignor to The ware Company, a corporation of Dela- Application Novcmber 14, 1938, Serial No. 240,406

6 Claims.

- My invention relates to improvements in machines for developing continuously either blueprints or negative papers, as for example the socalled Van Dykes, the changes necessary to adapt the machine to one use or thev other being accomplished merely by making a few adjustments, and without having to changethe liquid in the containers. V r a In the prior joint patent of Thomas Lord and 10 myself, issued April 5, 1932, No. 1,852,662, we have shown a continuous .blueprinting machines in which a roller dips in a .trough containing the developing or fixing solution and applies the same to the sensitized side of the blueprint paper which passes over the top of the roller, the latter rotating at a surface speed greater than that of the paper, to insure a puddle of liquid between the span of paper and the periphery of the roller.

In the case of blueprint paper, after exposure.

to the light water is applied thereto to remove the surplus chemicals from the surface and to initiate the oxidation, after which a stronger oxidizing agent such, for eicample, as bi'chro'mate of potash is, applied to the sensitized surface of the paper by means of the roller just referred to. This method of developing blueprint paper has proved tobe yery successfuh'being economical. and having the added advantage of keeping the -.potash from the back of the paper. The samemachine has been used also for developing negative papers having a brown or black background.

These papers are sensitized with a coating which is developed b water and thereafterfixed by hyposulphite of soda.

In using said machine for negative papers as distinguished from blueprint papers, no change ismade in them'echanism itself but itis neces-.-

sary to replace the potash with hypo and this necessitates the careful washing and rinsing of the trough or receptacle whichpreviously'contained the potash and also careful cleansing of the roller itself. This use of the trough alter-' nately for potash or hypo necessarily involves a I certain loss of time in changing irom one'type of print to the other;

The general object of the present invention is to overcome this *difllculty by providing a quick change arrangement whereby .the' operator may shift from the application of potash to hypo or fromhypo to potash, without changing the chemicals in the troughs. r

Otherwise expressed, the object of the invention is to provide a continuous machine which may "be usedequally well iondeveloping either-'- blueprints or negative papers, without changing the mechanism, except to adjust certain parts.

A further object is to provide a machine of the type of a continuous blueprint machine, but having certain additionalirollers which may be swung I to different positions to permit the development of blueprints which require water and potash, or the development of negative papers which'require water and hypo.

Another object is to provide a machine for 10 properly developing or fixing thin, sensitized paper which has been exposed in part to light, as well as thicker paper, which does not present the,

same problem as the thin paper.

Anadditional object is to permit changing from one kind of paper. to the other without delaying the operation of the machine appreciably.

A further object is to provide a continuous machine which willapply a liquid to one side only of the paper traveling therethrough or will ap- 7 ply liquid to both sides of the paperLaLs may be desired.

I Other objects and advantages will be apparent from a' consideration of the following detailed description and of the accompanying drawings in a which a commercial embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In said drawings:- v Fig. 1 is a sidefelevation of the complete ma}; chine; I a

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-4 thereof with certain parts removed;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic end View of, the rolls in Fig. 2 showing' blueprint paper in. contact with the rolls; y i

Fig 4 is a'diagrammatic view of the same rolls in a different position of relative adjustment and 'with a band of negative paper in contact with usual blueprint paper and is indicated bya heavy 48 dotted line IO', the supply bein'g in the form of a roll mounted in front of the machine, which in this figure appears at the right hand end therebi. The paper passes first through the printer,

indicated generally by reference II, where it is 50 exposed to the usual arc lamps and thereafter passes through the section of the machine immediately to the rear which, contains a tank I! of water through which the blueprint paper travels upsidedown, passing under the rollers l3,

OFFICE l3, preferably at a slow rate, to avoid running or bleeding. This station, where the initial oxidation takes place, need not be described in detail as it forms the subject matter of a separate application No. 190,855, filed by me February 16, 1938. After leaving this station the paper is treated to further applications of water, which may include a back water wash, to wash the same thoroughly, in a manner which is well understood. The water runs down the front and back of the paper and into a receptacle M, after which said paper passes through what may be called the developing or fixing station 55, hereinafter described.

From this station the paper passes upwardly past the water spray it and through the dryer, indicated generally at W and is automatically wound in a roll at it where it is cut off from time to time so that the roll may be removed and a new roll started.

The intermediate portion of the machine is shown with an auxiliary station,'indicated gen-- orally at E9 and containing the roller by which the developer may be applied to diazo prints, where prints are run through the machine. In such cases the paper does not pass through the tank i2 but passes directly to the diazo attachment 59, as indicated by the dotted lines in this attachment, but the latter is not described in detail as it forms no 'part ,of the present invention.

Referring now to the developing or fixing sta tion, indicated generally at E5, the same comprises the rollers Zi, 22, 23, 2Q, 25 as shown in plan view in Fig. 2 and diagrammatically in Fig. 3. The blueprint paper it! passes over and under the several rolls, as shown in Fig. 3 emerging from the water in the tank or trough 25 where it is washed to remove the potash applied to its under surface or sensitized surface by the roller 2% which dips in the potash in the trough 2i. The application to the blueprint of the potash as an oxidizing agent to complete the development thereof is substantially the same as the method described in said prior patent 1,852,- 662, which earlier structure does not include the rollers 22 and 23. Said rollers, in the Fig. 3 arrangement, perform no particular function except to serve as idlers.- The remaining tank 28 contains the hpyo, which is not used in developing blueprints.

The tanks or troughs may be mounted in a suitable frame 29, which in turn is supported by the frame 30 of the machine. The several rollers 2l- -25 inclusive, are also suitably journaled in the frame of the machine, as shown in part in Fig. 2. The roller 22 is mounted to be swung into and out of the hypo bank 28 and for this purpose is mounted on arms 3|, one at each end, fixed to a shaft 32, the latter being provided with a suitable handle 33 whereby the roller may be manipulated. In like manner, the roller 23 is supported on pivoted arms 34 mounted on stub shafts 35 and actuated by an arm 36. Suitable locking pins 31, 38 may be provided to hold the rolls in the desired position of adjustment.

A sheet of metal or shield 39 is provided, preferably between the rollers 23 and 24, to prevent any hypo, which, under certain conditions of adjustment, may drip from the roller 23, from contaminating the potash-applying roller 24.

Fig. 4 shows the relative arrangement of the various rollers when a band of negative paper 40 passes the station, which paper is usually thinner than blueprint paper. In the arrangement shown, the roll 22 is lowered into the hypo tank so that the paper will be completely immersed in the hypo solution, and the roll 23 is elevated so that the paper will be held out of contact with the potash-applying roller 24. Thus the paper travels from the hypo trough to the water trough 2t, and is thereafter given a further wash, as previously described.

In Fig. 5 the roller 22 is in the same position as in Fig. 4, but the roller 23 is lowered so that after the paper has been immersed in the hypo solution, it may thereafter have a second application of hypo applied to its under side before reaching the water trough. In this case it will be necessary, of course, to drain the middle tank of potash, rinse the same thoroughly and also cleanse the roller 2 3 before putting the hypo solution in the middle tank. This operation would, to some extent, detract from the advantages of the machine, as heretofore described, and would be used only to a limited extent. The main operations are those illustrated by the arrangement in Figs. 3 and 4. Asthese figures suggest, all that is necessary to change from one kind of paper to the other, is to fasten the leading end of one band of paper to the rear edge of the bandof paper which has been traveling through the machine and as the paper continues to travel through the machine, the handles 33 and 36 are swung to the appropriate positions and locked in place so that the developing or fling solution is changed from potash to hypo, or vice versa.

Inasmuch as the negatives developed by this machine may be used for making blue line prints or so-called whiteprints, they must necessarily be transparent over certain areas, to permit the passage of light, and for this purpose the paper used is rather thin. When such paper is sensitized, the solution soaks through the paper so that a considerable portion of it is deposited at the back of the paper. posed to light under a tracing, and said paper, which is itself a negative, is washed for the removal of the excess and unexposed chemicals, it is important that both sides of the paper be washed. Also, after the washing operation, as carried out for example in the machine illustrated herein, it is necessary that the silver solutions should be thoroughly treated with hypo like any photographic print. For this reason it is necessary, or at least desirable, to apply the hypo to both sides of the paper rather than to one side only. The use of the roller 22, shown in Fig. l, insures immersion of the paper in the hypo whereby both sides thereof are treated, as distinguished from the application of potash to the band of blueprint paperfas in Fig. 3, in which the roller 2% applies the solution only to the sensitized face of the paper. Without reference to the particular solutions used, it will be seen that the machine of this invention provides means for applying a liquid to one side After the paper is exonly or to both sides of a sheet of paper pass- V ing 'therethrough, at the option of the operator, or as shown in Fig. 5 a liquid or liquids may be applied to both sides of a sheet of paper and an additional application made to one side only of the same sheet.

These various applications as will be seen, are made effective by changes in the relative position of the troughs or tanks with respect to the path of travel of the paper.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the class described, a plurality of troughs for diiferent liquids, means for feeding a continuous sheet of light. sensitized material past said troughs, a roller associated with each trough, said sheet passing over certain rollers and under other rollers, some of which rollers dip into the liquid in said troughs, and manually operated means for moving said rollers out of and into said liquids, to apply one liquid to both sides of a traveling sheet by immersing the same in the liquid in one trough, and to apply another liquid to one side only of a subsequent sheet by contact with the upper portion of a roller partly immersed in the liquid.

2. A continuous machine for developing or fixing blueprint paper and negative paper comprising, rollers past which a long sheet of one of said papers may travel, the other of said papers following said first paper through the machine, receptaclesbeneath said rollers, one containing hypo,'one containing potash and one containing water, means for supporting said rollers and for moving some of them with respect to others, whereby the blueprint paper may ,travel above the hypo receptacle and char and in contact with a roller dipping into said potash receptacle, and under a roller dipping into said water receptacle, to develop said blueprint paper, and'whereby, by moving said rollers relatively to each other, a subsequent span of negative paper may travel under a roller in said hypo receptacle to completely immerse the same and then pass under a roller in the water receptacle, to fix and wash the same.

3. In a blueprint machine a series of three troughs, the first one containing hypo, the second one containing potash and the third containing water, a roller above said hypo tank, pivoted arms for supporting the same whereby it may be moved into and out of the solution in said tank, a roller partly immersed in the solution in said potash tank and a roller partly immersed in the water tank, a roller over which a longsecond pivotally moimted roller, both of said rollers being normally out of contact with the solution in the hypo tank, the lowering of said first mentioned pivoted roller into the hypo tank causing a subsequent band of negative paper to be immersed therein and the raising of said second mentioned roller lifting the span of paper clear of the potash-applying roller, whereby said negative paper may be fixed and washed.

4. In a machine of the class described a frame, a hypo-applying roller mounted therein, a trough beneath said roller containing hypo in which said roller is partly submerged, a second water-wash roller mounted in parallel relation with said first roller, a troughbeneath the same containing water in which said roller dips, a third roller mounted in said frame over which the paper passes to said potash roller, two auxiliary rollers each having pivotally supported arms at opposite ends of each roller whereby one of said rollers may be dipped into and out of a third tank ,containing a hypo solution and whereby the other auxiliary roller may be raised to lift the span of paper out of contact with said potashapplying roller and permit it to travel to said water wash roller.

5. .In a machine of the class described a frame having supporting means mounted therein, a plurality of liquid-containing troughs supported-by said means, rollers mounted in said frame above said troughs, one of said rollers being in fined position at one side of said troughs and above the same, a second roller being mounted in said frame to dip in the middle trough, a third roller being mounted to dip in an end trough and a fourth roller being pivotally mounted to dip into and out of the remaining trough, said lastmentioned roller having a handle and a locking device to hold it in diil'erent positions of adjustment.

6. In a developing machine, a water wash, a hypo tank with a roller adjustably mounted to move into and out of the solution therein, a potash tank with a roller dipping in the solution therein, an additional water wash, and means for passing a sheet of paper continuously through said machine past said rollers and said water wash, and means for moving said adjustable roller to immerse a span of paper of one kind in the hypo solution but not in said potash solution and to elevate a span of paper of another kind above said hypo solution but in contact with said potash-applying roller.

HAROLD J. BRUNK. 

